Ocean waves certainly contain a large amount of energy, but actually converting this energy into something our society can use (like electricity) is pretty challenging. People are actively researching this type of renewable energy, but so far it has been experimental and no cities are powered by ocean wave energy. There is another similar type of ocean energy and that is tidal energy.

As you know the tide goes up and down two times per day and in places (like Alaska) where the tidal difference is very great, they may be able to use it someday. Find out more about all this and more at:
tidal energy and owec.

Good luck! Maybe you will help us figure out a good method to capture this tremendous energy source.

Yes -- people have tried to extract energy from waves, usually by arrangements of floats and fixed piers. Tides have also been (and still are) used to extract energy from the ocean movement. A recent winner of the international science fair designed a mechanism to extract mechanical energy from wave motion.

Wave power would be a great idea for people that live on the coast. It has been tried, and it is currently an active research project in many countries, but appears to be particularly popular in Europe.

As you've probably guessed, wave power is really attractive because it's potentially clean and renewable. As with any power generating idea, there are drawbacks though. The next time you go to the beach, do you want to see a big power plant right there? This is the kind of question that people are trying to address. For more information about California's stance on energy, check out
renewable energy

Here is another interesting page that you might enjoy reading: wave connect. This article mentions about wave technology.